After the sanctioned Chinese tech firm released a new AI-enabled computer with an Intel AI computer chip, Republican China hardliner Marco Rubio is asking the Biden administration to halt all income to Huawei.
Democratic lawmakers criticized the transfer of Huawei’s first AI-enabled notebook, the MateBook X Pro, which was powered by Intel’s new Core Ultra 9 cpu, as it suggested that the Commerce Department had authorized Intel to promote the device to Huawei.
In a text to Commerce Department Secretary Gina Raimondo, Rubio and Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik wrote that” this would be intolerable and a loss to impose trade controls against a removed hero of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)”.
We ask that you rethink this harmful attitude and soon revoke any export permits Huawei have granted, they wrote in the letter that was seen by Reuters.
The Biden administration is under increasing pressure to get more extreme measures to halt Huawei, according to the letter. Despite the business having long been in Washington’s sights over concerns about national security, some of its firms are experiencing a bit of a comeback.
Huawei did not respond to a request for comment. Intel claimed that it” completely adheres to all the laws and rules in the nations where we conduct company.” A representative for the Commerce Department said the organization had received the letter and would answer, but it would not make any additional comments.
The Chinese Embassy reacted to “excluding particular firms from particular nations” and to using the concept of national security to obstruct foreign companies without providing any conclusive proof.
In response to concerns that Huawei might spy on Americans, the United States placed it on a business restriction list in 2019 as part of a wider effort to limit China’s ability to boost its defense. Being added to the list means the agency’s suppliers have to find a unique, challenging- to- receive license before shipping.
Even so, Huawei’s manufacturers have gotten billions of dollars worth of permits to sell its goods and technology, including a contentious one that was issued by the Trump administration, which has allowed Intel to deliver key computers to Huawei for use in its devices since 2020.
Critics argue such licenses have contributed to the company’s resurgence.
Huawei shocked the market last August by debuting a smartphone powered by a cutting-edge chip from Chinese chipmaker SMIC despite US export restrictions for both companies. According to research firm Counterpoint, the phone contributed to Huawei’s smartphone sales increasing by 64 % year over year in the first six weeks of 2024.